Fermented formula feed, its production, and uses

ABSTRACT

A highly digestible, good preference, relatively high-quality fermented formula feed which is obtainable by mixing a soybean feed material and a wheat splinter capable of decomposing phytin in an amount of not less than that of the soybean feed material, d.s.b., and subjecting the mixture to a lactic acid fermentation under humid conditions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fermented formula feed, itsproduction, and uses, more particularly, to a fermented formula feedwhich is obtainable by mixing a soybean feed material with a wheatsplinter which is capable of decomposing phytin an amount of not lessthan that of the soybean feed material, on a dry solid basis (thewording "on a dry solid basis" as referred to in the present inventionwill be abbreviated as "d.s.b." hereinafter), and subjecting the mixtureto a lactic acid fermentation under humid conditions, as well as to itsproduction and uses.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Recently, the soybean processing industry has more flourished and isproducing food materials and processed foods in quantities. As itflourishes, by-products such as a defatted soybean, soybean broth, beancurd refuse, and bean curd waste fluid, which are inevitably dischargedduring the processing of the above food materials and processed foods,have varied and increased rapidly in quantity. These by-products arepartly used as feed materials but mostly dumped into reclaimed lands orseas as a waste, and this may result in an increase in environmentalpollution.

Feed grains, which are required in livestock industries such as pig-,chicken- and cattle-raisings, and dairy farming with an enlargedmanagement, have been imported from overseas in large quantities. Inplace of the feed grains, the aforesaid soybean processing by-productsare expected to be used more advantageously as feed materials. However,the soybean feed materials such as a defatted soybean and bean curdrefuse contain a quantity of phytin, and it is known that theutilization and the absorbability of phosphate in phytin which isincorporated in feeds are relatively poor. Since phytin inhibits theabsorption of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, and zincand lowers the value of feeds, the decomposition of phytin by phytase istheoretically proposed.

In this regard, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 319,539/94 discloses asfollows: "Phytase is an enzyme that is widely distributed in plants andmicroorganisms, especially, in fungi, and found in only a small amountin the bowels of monogastric animals. Plant phytase is poor in pHstability, and the pH range for exerting a catalytic activity isrelatively narrow, so that it is readily inactivated in the alimentarycanals of monogastric animals and less utilized by the animals.Therefore, such a plant phytase is not so useful in the preparation offormula feeds for livestock."

It has been in great demand to establish a high-quality feed having asufficiently decomposed phytin derived from soybean feed materials, animproved phosphate utility value, and a relatively-low inhibitoryactivity of absorbing essential minerals, and to provide a high-qualityfeed with an improved storage stability which is processed fromputrefactive soybean feed materials such as a soybean broth, bean curdrefuse, and bean curd waste fluid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a high-quality formula feed with areduced phytin content, produced from soybean feed materials such asdefatted soybeans and bean curd refuses which are discharged in largequantities as by-products in soybean processing, and provides its usesfor livestock industries.

In order to overcome the above object, the present inventors studiedenergetically plant materials as a formula feed material, especially,the mixing of grain feed materials with other feed materials.

As a result, the present inventors unexpectedly found that ahigh-quality fermented formula feed with a reduced phytin content isobtainable by mixing a soybean feed material with a wheat splintercapable of decomposing phytin in an amount of not less than 1.5 folds ofthat of the soybean feed material, d.s.b., and subjecting the mixture toa lactic acid fermentation under humid conditions. Thus, theyaccomplished this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a high-quality formula feed with areduced phytin content, produced from soybean feed materials such asdefatted soybeans and bean curd refuses which are discharged in largequantities as by-products in soybean processings, and provides its usesfor livestock industries.

The soybean feed materials used in the present invention include one ormore materials such as a defatted soybean, soybean broth, bean curdrefuse, bean curd waste fluid, waste soybean milk, waste bean curd, andsoybean milk serum. The wheat splinters used in the present inventioninclude one or more materials such as a press-ground wheat, wheat flour,low-grade flour, and wheat flour bran having phytase activity. In thepresent invention, the wheat splinters are mixed with the soybeanmaterials in an amount of not less than those of the soybean feedmaterials, d.s.b., preferably not less than 1.5 folds of those of thesoybean feed materials, d.s.b., to allow the wheat splinters toeffectively decompose phytin and to improve the nutritive balance of theresulting feeds.

In the present fermented formula feed, the soybean feed materials andthe wheat splinters are suitably used as an energy source for feeds andare satisfactorily incorporated into the desired feeds as much aspossible. Generally, the soybean feed materials and the wheat splintersare incorporated into final products in an amount of more than 50 w/w %(the wording "w/w %" as referred to in the present invention will beabbreviated as "%" hereinafter), preferably, more than 60%, d.s.b., intotal and optionally further mixed with other feed materials. The otherfeed materials are, for example, food industrial by-products such as agerm cake, soy sauce cake, starch wastes, sake cake, shochu cake, beercake, beet pulp, corn gluten field, rape cake, peanut cake, fish meal,feather meal, blood powder, and milk serum; agricultural wastes such asa bagasse, corn trunk, rice straw, wheat straw, cotton seed, peanutshell, vegetable rubbish, fruit rubbish, sawdust, and bark; saccharidessuch as molasses, sugar, lactose, glucose, maltose, dextrin, partiallysaccharified starch in wheat splinters, and starch; minerals such asbone powders, salts of sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphoric acid,iron, copper, zinc, and cobalt; and vitamins such as water-solublevitamins and oil-soluble vitamins. A recommended timing forincorporating these other feed materials is a time before a lactic acidfermentation and, if necessary, the feed materials can be mixed afterthe lactic acid fermentation.

The moisture level or the humid condition for lactic acid fermentationused in the present invention ranges from a water content which allowslactic acid bacteria to ferment and one which does not allow nutritivesolutions to exude from the resulting fermented formula feeds.Generally, a moisture level of about 40-90%, preferably, about 45-80% issatisfactory. To expect a higher storage stability, a relatively-lowmoisture level of about 45-60% is recommended. As the water sources usedin the present invention, a liquid soybean broth, bean curd waste fluid,waste soybean milk, soybean milk serum, highly-humidified bean curd, andwaste bean curd refuse, can be used advantageously, and optionally thewater sources can be used along with an appropriate amount of water.

In the present invention, the lactic acid fermentation step is animportant step to maintain the pH of formula feed materials in an acidcondition, preferably, a pH of about 5 or lower where phytindecomposition by wheat splinters is effected. Actually, in the case ofmaintaining the temperature within the range where lactic acid bacteriacan grow, i.e., a temperature of about 15-50° C., an about 0.1-5% of aseed culture of lactic acid bacteria is generally inoculated tohumidified formula feeds, and the resulting mixture is either coveredwith plastic sheets, packed in flexible bags, or wrapped to keep themixtures anaerobically, followed by subjecting the mixture to a lacticacid fermentation for about 2-5 days. Thus, the desired high-qualityfermented formula feed is obtained.

In winter season where the ambient temperature is relatively low andlactic acid bacteria could not grow, humidified formula feeds are keptaerobically for about 1-2 days during an exothermic fermentation, andsubjected to an anaerobic lactic acid fermentation to produce thedesired high-quality fermented formula feeds within a relatively shortperiod of time of an about 2-7 days.

Any inoculation method can be used in the present invention as long asit enables the inoculation of the bacteria used in the presentinvention: For example, the bacteria can be inoculated into one of thefeed materials, then the mixtures are mixed with the remaining feedmaterials before a lactic acid fermentation, or the bacteria can beinoculated into a mixture of all the feed materials before a lactic acidfermentation. The lactic acid bacteria suitably used in the presentinvention are one or more conventional ones selected from the groupconsisting of those of the genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus,Pediococcus, and Streptococcus. Especially, Enterococcus faecium HL-5(FERM BP-4504), which was isolated by the present inventors and ishighly resistant to heat, salt, and alkali, grows in variety conditionsand can be advantageously used in a lactic acid fermentation for formulafeeds using alkali-treated agricultural wastes as roughage materials.

The present fermented formula feed thus obtained has a satisfactorilydecomposed phytin, inhibiting mineral absorption, and is used as asource of phosphorus that is readily absorbed and metabolized byanimals. Since the fermented formula feed improves the absorption ofessential minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, zinc, and cobalt infeeds, the feed can be advantageously used as a feed for monogastricanimals and ruminants. The present fermented formula feed acidified withlactic acid has a relatively-high storage stability and a satisfactorytaste preference. If necessary, the feed can be dried by aeration orheating to lower the moisture content below 40%, preferably, below 30%.The fermented formula feed thus obtained can be readily stored andtransported to a long distance before feeding livestock. The fermentedformula feed is a high-quality feed with a reduced phytin content andsuperior in digestibility and taste preference.

The present fermented formula feed is mainly used as a feed formonogastric animals such as pigs and poultry and advantageously used asone for ruminants after being mixed with appropriate roughage materialsselected from food industrial by-products and agricultural wastes.Particularly, the fermented formula feed is suitably used as a feed witha reduced mineral absorption inhibitory activity. It can be alsoadvantageously used as a feed for controlling the intestinal disorderand preventing infection and unsatisfactory smell of feces. Depending onthe types of feeds and the ages of pigs, assuming pigs of about 80 kgbody weight each, they are fed about 5-6 kg/day/head that increases thebody weight by an about 0.7 kg/day/head or more, preferably, about 0.84kg/day/head or more. The present fermented formula feed can be furthermixed with other nutrients before feeding animals depending on the typesand ages of the animals.

The following experiments explain the present invention in detail:

EXPERIMENT 1

Decomposition of Phytin Contained in Soybean Feed Materials by GrainFeed Materials

Using grain feed materials, their activities to decompose phytin in asoybean feed material were studied. To one part by weight of a defattedsoybean, d.s.b., was added 2 parts by weight of a rice bran,press-ground oat, press-ground kaoliang, press-ground sorghum,press-ground maize, press-ground wheat, low-grade flour, wheat flour, orwheat bran, and the mixture was mixed with 0.1M acetate buffer (pH 5.0)to give a water content of about 80%, allowed to react at 35° C. for 16hours, and heated at 100° C. for 10 min to suspend the enzymaticreaction. The total content of phosphorus and the content of phytatephosphorus contained in the above each reaction mixture were measured inaccordance with the method described in "Official Methods of Analysis",15th edition, Nos. 964.06 and 986.11 (1990) published by the Associationof Official Analytical Chemists, Inc. As a control, pre-reactionmixtures before enzymatic reactions were treated similarly as above, thetotal content of phosphorus and the content of phytate phosphoruscontained in the resultant reaction mixtures were measured by the abovemethod. The amount of non-phytate phosphorus was calculated bysubtracting the content of phytate phosphorus from the total content ofphytin. The activities to decompose phytin by the grain feed materialswere evaluated by using a relative value while the content ofnon-phytate phosphorus in the wheat bran which had been increased afterthe 16 hours' reaction was regarded as 100.

The results were in Table 1.

                  TABLE 1    ______________________________________                   Activity to decompose phytin    Grain feed material                   (Relative value)    ______________________________________    Rice bran      8    Press-ground oat                   4    Press-ground kaoliang                   1    Press-ground sorghum                   1    Press-ground maize                   2    Press-ground wheat                   95    Low grade flour                   97    Wheat flour    92    Wheat bran     100    ______________________________________

As is obvious from the results in Table 1, phytin contained in soybeanfeed materials is well decomposed by wheat splinters such as apress-ground wheat, low-grade flour, wheat flour, and wheat bran amongthe grain feed materials.

EXPERIMENT 2

Influence of the Composition of Wheat Splinters on Decomposition ofPhytin Contained in Soybean Feed Materials

To effectively decompose phytin contained in soybean feed materials, themixing ratio of soybean feed materials and wheat splinters having anactivity to decompose phytin was studied. In accordance with the methodin Experiment 1, a wheat bran was mixed with one part by weight of adefatted soybean in an amount of 0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 or 4.0 foldsof that of the defatted soybean, d.s.b., and the mixture was mixed with0.1M acetate buffer (pH 5.0) to give a water content of about 80%,allowed to react at 35° C. for 16 hours, and heated to suspend theenzymatic reaction in accordance with the method in Experiment 1,followed by calculating the total content of phosphorus and the contentof phytate phosphorus in the resultant reaction mixture. In accordancewith the method in Experiment 1, the activity to decompose phytincontained in the wheat bran was expressed with a relative value bycalculating the content of non-phytate phosphorus which had beenincreased after 16 hours' reaction and regarding as 100 the content ofnon-phytate phosphorus which had been increased after 16 hours' reactionand found in the case of using 4.0 folds of the defatted soybean. Theresults are shown in Table 2.

                  TABLE 2    ______________________________________    Wheat bran  Activity to decompose phytin    (folds)     (Relative value)    ______________________________________    0           0    0.2         21    0.5         49    1.0         88    1.5         97    2.0         99    4.0         100    ______________________________________

As is obvious from the results in Table 2, wheat splinters having anactivity to decompose phytin are suitably added to soybean feedmaterials in an amount of not less than those of the soybean feedmaterials, d.s.b., preferably not less than 1.5 folds of those of thesoybean feed materials, d.s.b., to effectively decompose phytin in thematerials.

EXPERIMENT 3

Influence of Lactic Acid Fermentation on Formula Feeds ContainingSoybean Feed Materials and Wheat Splinters

15.1 parts by weight of a bean curd refuse, 32.0 parts by weight of abean curd waste liquid, 14.9 parts by weight of a wheat bran, 25.4 partsby weight of a low-grade flour, 5.8 parts by weight of a germ bed cake,and 5.8 parts by weight of a soy source cake were mixed well to give awater content of about 54%. One % of a seed culture of Enterococcusfaecium HL-5 (FERM BP-4504) as a lactic acid bacterium was added to theabove mixture and mixed well. Twenty kg aliquots of the mixture werepacked in polyethylene bags which were then sealed hermetically to givean anaerobic condition, and subjected to a lactic acid fermentation at25° C. for 5 days to produce a fermented formula feed having a pH ofabout 4. As a control, the formula feed immediately after theinoculation of the lactic acid bacteria was heated at 100° C. for 30min, frozen, and processed into an unfermented formula feed. Inaccordance with the method in Experiment 1 and using these formulafeeds, the total contents of phosphorus and phytate phosphorus wereassayed to calculate the content of non-phytate phosphorus. The resultswere in Table 3.

                  TABLE 3    ______________________________________                    Fermented formula                                 Unfermented                    feed of the present                                 formula feed                    invention    as a control    ______________________________________    Total phosphorus                    0.35         0.35    (%, d.s.b.)    Phytate phosphorus                    0.06         0.20    (%, d.s.b.)    Non-phytate phosphorous                    0.29         0.15    (%, d.s.b.)    ______________________________________

As is obvious from the results in Table 3, a high-quality feed, having adecomposed phytate phosphorus and an increased content of non-phytatephosphorus, is prepared by subjecting a mixture of soybean feedmaterials containing phytin and wheat splinters having an activity todecompose phytin to a lactic acid fermentation. The fermented formulafeed has a relatively-long shelf life if only kept anaerobically.

EXPERIMENT 4

Effect of the Feeding of Fermented Formula Feed Both on Fattening Testand Animals' Feces

Using a fermented formula feed prepared by the method in Experiment 3,pigs were tested for fattening. As a control, the unfermented formulafeed prepared in Experiment 3 and "SL3" (Kaneni-Jirushi Formula Feed forPigs), a formula feed produced by Chugoku Shiryo Goshi-kaisha, Tamano,Okayama, Japan, were used. Eighteen 5-month-old crossbreeding LW·D pigs,about 75 kg body weight on average, were divided into 3 groupsconsisting of 6 head, and fed for 3 weeks on 5.30 kg/day/head of thepresent formula feed, 5.30 kg/day/head of the unfermented formula feed,or 2.77 kg/day/head of "SL3" to allow the pigs to take 2.44 kg/day/headof either of these feeds, d.s.b. During the feeding, the pigs wereallowed to intake water freely. The concentrations of ammonia andputrefactive substances in the pigs' feces 2 weeks after the initiationof the test were measured, and the pigs fed on these feeds werecompared. The concentration of ammonia was determined in accordance with"Ammonium Limit Test" described in "The Guide Book for the Pharmacopediaof Japan", 11th edition, pp. B-7 to B-11 (1986), and the concentrationof putrefactive substances was determined in accordance with the methoddescribed by Ichiro Yoshihara described in "Agricultural BiologicalChemistry", Vol.45, No.8, pp.1,873-1,875 (1981), in a manner that theconcentrations of phenol, p-cresol, 4-ethyl phenol, indole, and skatolewere assayed and summed up. The results are shown in Table 4.

                  TABLE 4    ______________________________________                Fermented formula                             Unfermented                                       Commercial-                feed of the  formula feed                                       ized formula                present invention                             as a control                                       feed    ______________________________________    Feed ingested                5.30         5.30      2.77    (kg/pig/day)                (2.44)       (2.44)    (2.44)    (kg by dry weight)    Average of increased                0.72         0.65      0.70    body weight    (kg/pig/day)    Concentration of                26.5         58.7      55.9    ammonia in feces    (μmol/g feces)    Concentration                778          1,840     1,753    of putrefactive    substances in feces    (nmol/g feces)    ______________________________________

As is obvious from the results in Table 4, the present fermented formulafeed is superior to the unfermented formula feed as a control and hasthe same quality as the commercialized formula feed "SL3". The fermentedformula feed has a good taste preference and a satisfactorydigestibility. The data indicates that the present fermented formulafeed is effectively used for feeding animals.

It was revealed that, unlike the unfermented formula feed and thecommercialized formula feed "SL3", the present fermented formula feedgave lower concentrations of ammonia and putrefactive substances in thepigs' feces and controlled animals' health in a good condition. It wasalso found that the present fermented formula feed improved theenvironmental conditions in barns and prevented undesirable smell offeces. Furthermore, the dressing of the pigs fed on the presentfermented formula feed revealed that the quality of meet was verysatisfactory.

The following examples explain the present invention:

EXAMPLE 1

21.2 parts by weight of a bean curd refuse, 15.5 parts by weight of abean curd waste, 10.5 parts by weight of a wheat bran, 21.0 parts byweight of a low-grade flour, 27.3 parts by weight of a germ bed cake,and 4.5 parts by weight of a soy source cake were mixed into a mixturewith a moisture content of about 53%. To the mixture was inoculated aseed culture of Enterococcus faecium HL-5 (FERM BP-4504), then coveredwith a plastic sheet, and subjected to a lactic acid fermentation atambient temperature for 3 days to obtain a fermented formula feed.

The product is a high-quality feed having a reduced phytin content, asatisfactory digestibility, and a good taste preference, and is suitablyused as a feed for monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry. Theproduct can be optionally prepared into a feed for ruminants by mixingwith roughage materials such as agricultural wastes and/or othernutritive sources.

EXAMPLE 2

24.8 parts by weight of a bean curd refuse, 13.6 parts by weight of abean curd waste fluid, 13.6 parts by weight of a wheat bran, 20.4 partsby weight of a low-grade flour, 23.7 parts by weight of analkali-treated sawdust of broadleaf, and 3.9 parts by weight of a soysource cake were mixed to obtain a feed with a moisture content of about52% which was then inoculated with a seed culture of Enterococcuscasseliflavus (IFO 3531), and subjected to a lactic acid fermentation toobtain a fermented formula feed similarly as in Example 1.

The product is a high-quality feed having a reduced phytin content, asatisfactory digestibility, and a good taste preference, and is suitablyused as a feed for monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry. Theproduct can be arbitrarily prepared into a feed for ruminants afterbeing mixed with roughage materials such as agricultural wastes and/orother nutritive sources.

EXAMPLE 3

Five parts by weight of water was added to 5 parts by weight of alow-grade flour, and the mixture was heated to gelatinize the amylaceoussubstances contained in the flour. The resulting mixture was mixed with5.2 parts by weight of a wheat bran, kept at 60° C. for 16 hours toproceed the saccharification by the amylase contained in the wheat bran,and further mixed with 6 parts by weight of a defatted soybean, 10.1parts by weight of a wheat bran, 20 parts by weight of a low-gradeflour, 6.8 parts by weight of a beet pulp, 5.8 parts by weight of a beercake, and 36.1 parts by weight of water to obtain a mixture with amoisture content of about 52%. The mixture thus obtained was inoculatedwith seed cultures of Enterococcus faecalis (IFO 3971) and Lactobaclllusbrevis (IFO 3345), packed in a flexible bag, sealed hermetically, andsubjected to a lactic acid fermentation at ambient temperature for 3days to obtain a fermented formula feed.

The product is a high-quality feed having a reduced phytin content, asatisfactory digestibility, and a good taste preference, and is suitablyused as a feed for monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry. Theproduct can be optionally prepared into a feed for ruminants by mixingwith roughage materials such as agricultural wastes and/or othernutritive sources.

EXAMPLE 4

Seventeen parts by weight of a bean curd refuse, 36 parts by weight of abean curd waste fluid, 11 parts by weight of a wheat bran, 25 parts byweight of a low-grade flour, 6 parts by weight of a sweet potato starchwaste, and 5 parts by weight of a mandarin orange waste were mixed intoa mixture with a moisture content of about 53%, subjected to an aerobicexothermic fermentation for 24 hours, inoculated with a seed culture ofEnterococcus faecalis HL-5 (FERM BP-4504), packed in a flexible bag,sealed hermetically, and allowed to ferment at ambient temperature for 5days to obtain a fermented formula feed.

The product is a high-quality feed having a reduced phytin content, asatisfactory digestibility, and a good taste preference, and is suitablyused as a feed for monogastric animals such as pigs and poultry. Theproduct can be arbitrarily prepared into a feed for ruminants aftermixed with roughage materials such as agricultural wastes and/or othernutritive sources.

EXAMPLE 5

A fermented formula feed, obtained by the method in Example 2, dried byhot air into a dry fermented formula feed with a moisture content ofabout 20%. The product is a high-quality feed having a reduced phytincontent, a satisfactory digestibility, and a good taste preference.Because the product has a satisfactorily-high storage stability, it canbe readily transported to a long distance.

As is obvious from the above results, the present fermented formula feedis obtainable by mixing a soybean feed material containing phytin with awheat splinter capable of decomposing phytin in an amount of not lessthan that of the soybean feed material, preferably, in an amount of notless than 1.5 folds of that of the soybean feed material, d.s.b.,subjecting the mixture to a lactic acid fermentation under humidconditions. In the fermented formula feed, phytin, which inhibits theabsorption of minerals, is well decomposed to lower the phytin. Becauseof this, the feed does not substantially inhibit the absorption ofessential minerals, has a relatively-high digestibility, and asatisfactorily-high taste preference. Therefore, the present fermentedformula feed can be suitably used as a feed for monogastric animals andruminants.

The present invention gives benefit to soybean processors, who areseeking treatment of soybean wastes, and to stock raisers who are eagerfor expensive feeds, and will widely influence upon grain processing,feed processing, and livestock processing industries, etc. From theglobal viewpoint, it is not an to state that the present invention willprovide quantities of foods like livestock and milk products from foodindustrial wastes which have been exhausted annually and are notcompeted with human foods. The present invention provides a noveltechnology to save the earth's future facing problems such as anenvironmental disruption, overflowing population, and food crisis. Thusthe contribution of the present invention is unfathomable.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be thepreferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood thevarious modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to coverin the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the truespirits and scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. In a feed for livestock comprising a feed grain, theimprovement wherein said feed grain is replaced by a processed soybeanfeed material which is obtainable by:(a) mixing a soybean feed materialwith a wheat splinter capable of decomposing phytin in an amount of notless than 1.5 times the amount of said soybean feed material, on a drysolid basis to substantially decompose phytin in said soybean feedmaterial in following step (b), wherein the total content of saidsoybean feed material and said wheat splinter is more than 50 w/w % on adry solid basis; and (b) subjecting the mixture to a lactic acidfermentation at a temperature of 15-50° C. under humid conditions. 2.The livestock feed of claim 1, wherein said wheat splinter is furthermixed with other feed material.
 3. The livestock feed of claim 1,wherein said soybean feed material is one or more members selected fromthe group consisting of defatted soybean, soybean broth, bean curdrefuse, bean curd waste fluid, waste soybean milk, waste bean curd, andsoybean milk serum, and said wheat splinter is one or more membersselected from the group consisting of press-ground wheat, wheat flour,low-grade flour, and wheat flour bran.
 4. The livestock feed of claim 2,wherein said other feed material is one or more members selected fromthe group consisting of food industrial by-products, agricultural wasteproducts, saccharides, minerals, and vitamins.
 5. The feed for livestockaccording to claim 1, wherein the humid condition in step (b) is about40-90% of water.
 6. The feed for livestock according to claim 1 whereinthe moisture content of the feed is below w/w %.
 7. A process forpreparing a livestock feed, said process consisting essentially of:(a)mixing a soybean feed material with a wheat splinter having an activityto decompose phytin in an amount of not less than 1.5 folds of that ofsaid soybean feed material, on a dry solid basis, to substantiallydecompose phytin in said soybean feed material in following step (b),wherein the total content of said soybean feed material and said wheatsplinter is more than 50 w/w % on a dry solid basis; and (b) subjectingthe mixture to a lactic acid fermentation at a temperature of 15-50° C.under humid conditions.
 8. The method according to claim 7 wherein themoisture content of the feed is below 40 w/w %.
 9. The process of claim7, wherein said wheat splinter is further mixed with other feedmaterial.
 10. The process of claim 9, wherein said other feed materialis one or more members selected from the group consisting of foodindustrial by-products, agricultural waste products, saccharides,minerals, and vitamins.
 11. The process of claim 7, wherein said lacticacid fermentation is an anaerobic lactic acid fermentation or ananaerobic lactic acid fermentation following an aerobic exothermicfermentation.
 12. The process of claim 7, wherein said lactic acidfermentation comprises a step of inoculating one or more spices oflactic acid bacteria selected from the group consisting of those of thegenera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus. 13.The process of claim 12, wherein said lactic acid bacterium belonging tothe genus Enterococcus is Enterococcus faecium HL-5 (FERM BP-4504). 14.The process of claims 7, wherein said livestock feed is a feed formonogastric animals and/or ruminants.
 15. The process of claim 7,wherein the total content of said soybean feed material and said wheatsplinter is more than 50 w/w %, on a dry solid basis.
 16. The process ofclaim 7, wherein said humid condition in step (b) is about 40-90 w/w %of water.